Hansen in race-off for Olympic spot

La Cañada High senior and luger Kate Hansen will be in a race-off this Wednesday against sisters Emily and Megan Sweeney, both of Suffield, Conn., for the final spot on the U.S. Olympic Luge Team, according to U.S.A. Luge officials.

The race will be held at the 1994 Olympic course in Lillehammer and will be early Wednesday morning European time, said U.S.A. Luge spokeswoman Sandy Caligiore. “By 7 or 8 a.m. Eastern time, we should know the outcome,” she said.

Hansen won two of the four U.S. World Cup qualifiers against the Sweeney sisters, but had been demoted to the Nations Cup just before the World Cup began after a bad run.

Emily Hamlin, who won a bronze medal at the World Cup this past week, and Julia Clukey, of Augusta, Maine, are likely taking the first two spots with one of the Sweeneys or Hansen taking the third and final. The official team will be announced on Dec. 18.